India: Bridge collapse death toll climbs to 134

Oct. 31 (UPI) -- The death toll from the collapse of a suspension bridge in India's western coastal state of Gujarat rose to 134 on Monday, as officials said they have launched a criminal investigation into the incident.

The British-colonial-era bridge, which suspends over the Machchhu River, in the town of Morbi, collapsed Sunday evening, just days after it had reopened to the public following seven months of repairs.

Hundreds of people fell from the bridge into the river below when it collapsed, sparking a mass rescue operation that worked over night and continued into Monday. At least 170 people had been rescued.

Officials announced the death toll early Monday, stating that rescue operations were still underway, the Press Trust of India reported.

The state government said five teams from the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed in the search effort along with the state disaster response force, fire brigade, army and other law enforcement agencies.

However, Mohsen Shahidi of the NDRF said the search operation "will end soon."

Harsh Sanghavi, the home minister of Gujarat, announced that a criminal case has been filed against the contractor behind the repairs under allegations of causing death by negligence, attempt to commit culpable homicide and abettor present when offense is committed.

The Chief Minister's Office of the Government of Gujarat said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Morbi on Tuesday.

During a campaign speech in Ekta Nagar, which is about 245 miles southeast of Mordi, Modi said Monday that "I have rarely experienced such pain in my life."

"My mind is connected with the victims or Morbi," he said. "I express my condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives."